Author :
Abstract
This paper mainly examines the meaning of social movements in urban contexts from a social-geographic standpoint, focusing on Cochabamba, Bolivia, as a case study. The Bolivian water war and social uprising against global and local privatization actors demonstrated that, contrary to modernization assumptions and developmental perspectives, "underdeveloped" countries resist political agendas imposed on them. This means that the patterns of globalization are directed by the needs and expectations of each country. In this regard, social movements are a synthesis of local and global dynamics that should be studied using a multilevel approach. All of these intertwined relationships can only be understood from a social-geographic standpoint that emphasizes the importance of space. This is due to the fact that urban space is more than just homogeneous interactions; it has a national context and a regional structure. The interdependence of flows and regional powers shapes the path of social movements.
Keywords
Abstract
This paper mainly examines the meaning of social movements in the urban contexts from a social geographical standpoint, focusing on Cochabamba, Bolivia as a case study. The Bolivian water war and social uprising against global and local privatization actors demonstrated that, contrary to modernization assumptions and developmental perspectives, "underdeveloped" countries resist political agendas imposed on them. This means that the patterns of globalization movements are directed by the needs and expectations of each country. In this regard, social movements are a synthesis of local and global dynamics that should be studied using a multilevel approach. All of these intertwined relationships can only be understood from a social geographical standpoint that emphasizes the importance of space. This is due to the fact that urban space is more than just homogeneous interactions, a national context, and a regional structure. The interdependence of flows and regional powers shapes the path of social movements.
